Lubricating apparatus



Sept. 15, 1942. E. w. DAVIS 6,

. wsaxcume APPARATUS Filed Sept. 13; 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I llihi lilil k fl' .ZiodazoZazf Sept. 15, 1942. I E, w, V s 2,296,148

LUBRICATING APPARATUS 4 Filed Sept. 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

' i m. 9 II III I Patented Sept. 15, 1942 2,236,148 LUBRICATING APPARATUS Ernest W. Davis, River Forest, 111., assignor to Stewart-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Virginia Application September 13, 1940, Serial No. 356,631

8 Claims. (01. 74-130) sion of improved means for actuating the priming means of the compressor.

Another object is the provision of a high pressure lubricant compressor which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and economical and durable in operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the lubricant compressor, the lubricant drum and the housing therefor being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the actuating mechanism with the priming means and high pressure cylinder in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a View partly in section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 'l-'| of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of those parts of the device through which rotation of the lubricant elevating means is effected.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown a lubricant compressor incorporating my invention with the parts in assembled relation. The

compressor is preferably enclosed in a decorative and protective housing In, more completely disclosed in the application of Charles A. Fine, Serial No. 289,209, filed August 9, 1939.

The compressor unit and associated parts are supported within the housing above the lubricant drum on a pair of radially extending arms l4 and I5. Arm I5 is secured to a rod 2| which telescopes within the tube I6. Tube I6 is suitably secured at its lower end and is supported at 55 its upper end in a plate I! secured to one end of an annular flange I8 which is located on the inner surface of the fixed part of the housing. The other arm I4 rests upon the other end of the annular flange l8.

The compressor unit consists of a hollow compressor body casting I2 suitably secured to the supporting arms l4 and I5 and having a chamber 13 therein (Fig. 2). The bottom of the casting is internally threaded to receive a priming cylinder l9 which extends substantially to the bottom of the lubricant containing drum ll through an opening in the top thereof.

A high pressure cylinder 24 extends through a bore 25 in the casting l2 and is held in position by means of a nut 21 and a discharge fitting 28 threaded on the opposite ends thereof. The cylinder 24 has an inlet port in communication with the chamber |3 in the body casting 12. Within the discharge fitting is a ball check valve 33 normally urged to a position closing the end of the high pressure cylinder by a coil spring seating on a plug 32 threaded into the end of the discharge fitting. A stem 33 in the discharge fitting limits the downward movement of the ball check valve. Threaded into the discharge fitting 28 is a discharge hose 38 which has secured to its opposite end a coupler 31 (Fig. 1) for coupling the hose to a lubricant receiving fitting on the machine to be lubricated, a valve 36 being provided for manually controlling the flow of lubricant through the hose. These parts may be of any well-known construction.

A cylinder 39 cast integrally with the body casting I2 has a cup leather piston 40 reciprocable therein, the piston being normally urged toward the chamber l3 by a compression coil spring 4| which seats against the apertured cap 42 threaded onto the outer end of the cylinder. The cylinder and yielding piston therein together form a lubricant storage reservoir, the capacity of which will increase when the pressure on the lubricant in the chamber l3 rises and forces the piston toward the lower end of the cylinder. This insures a rapid priming of the high pressure cylinder since the lubricant in the chamber I3 is kept under constant pressure by the force exerted on the piston 4|] by the spring 4|.

A high pressure plunger 43 has its upper end threaded into the lower end of a coupling member 44 and has its lower end extending into the high pressure cylinder 24. The coupling member 44 and plunger 43 are actuated by a reciprocatory air motor 45 having a reciprocating piston rod 41 extending therefrom. The lower end of threaded into the upper end of coupling member 44. The air motor 45 is supplied with air under pressure through the hose 48 and a compressed air supply pipe 49.

When the dispenser is in use, air under pressure is continuously supplied to the motor, and the latter will operate until the pressure in the discharge conduit 38 is sufficiently high to resist downward movement of the plunger 43. Whenever the pressure in the discharg conduit is relieved by opening the Valve 36, the motor will again operate.

Within the priming cylinder I9 is a tube 62 non-rotatably secured at its upper end to a shaft 63 by means of pin 64. Collector blades 55 may be secured to a rod 6| which is pinned to the lower end of the tube 62. the tube 62 and urge lubricant toward th inlet end of the priming cylinder I9. A helical conveyor blade 66 is secured to the tube 62 by welding, and when the tube is rotated, conveys lubricant upwardly into the chamber I3.

Shaft 63 is journaled in a bearing bore lI formed in the compressor body casting I2. On the upper end of shaft 63 is a clutch mechanism comprising a pawl carrier 69 secured to the shaft 63 by a pin 67, and a segmental gear 8-0 mounted for free rotation about the pawl carrier 69. The pawl carrier 69 rests upon an anti-friction thrust bearing 68 which is seated upon the casting I2.

An annular groove extends around the outer periphery of the pawl carrier 69 which also has a stepped slot 12 in its outer periphery parallel to the axes of the pawl carrier and of a configuration best shown in Fig. 7. A tension spring I3 located in the annular groove I6 has one end secured to a screw I4 threaded in the pawl carrier and has its other end hooked in a notch 75 out midway between the ends of a rectangular shaped pawl 76 which is set loosely in the stepped slot I2 of the pawl carrier. The tension in the spring I3 tends to draw the pawl I6 into the position in which it is shown in full line in Fig. '7 with the outer edge of the pawl extending beyond the periphery of the pawl carrier. The segmental gear 80 has a plurality of triangular shaped notches B2 on its inner cylindrical surface for engaging the projecting edge of the pawl '76.

Referring to Fig. 7, when the segmental gear 69 is revolved in a clockwise direction, the pawl in the pawl carrier does not catch in th notches 82 but assumes the position shown in dotted lines, and the pawl carrier and shaft 63 remain stationary, but when the segmental gear is revolved in a counter-clockwise direction, the outer edge of the pawl will be urged outwardly by the spring 73 and will catch in one of the notches 82 and the rotary motion of the gear will be transmitted to the pawl carrier 69 and shaft 63. The segmental gear is held in place by an annular cover plate 83 secured to the gear by screws 84 and rotatable about the shaft 63. The cover plate 83 is held in place by a washer 85 and a screw 86 threaded into the upper end of shaft 53.

The ends of a link 9|] and of a bell crank lever 6| are pivoted on the projecting ends respectively of a headed pin 92 which extends through the coupling member 44 and is retained by a cotter pin. The other end of link 99 and the intermediate portion of the bell crank lever 9| are pivotally connected to one end of an arm 93 by a headed pin 94. The lower end of arm 93' is of semi-cylindrical shape and i hollowed out on its under side to fit over a lug 95 projecting hori- The blades rotate with the piston rod 4'! is of reduced diameter and is zontally from the body casting I2. Arm 63 is pivoted to lug 95 by studs 96 and 91 which are threaded in the sides of the arm and have coneshaped ends 98 and 99 which fit into complementary openings in the sides of lug 95. The studs are locked in adjusted position by lock nuts I90 and IBI.

The lower end of the bell crank lever 9| is pivoted to a rack I66 by a shouldered stud I91 which passes freely through the rack and is threaded in the lower end of bell crank lever 9|. The rack I66 has teeth I99 thereon which mesh with teeth 8| of the segmental gear 89. The rack I66 is guided by a flanged roller II!) which is rotatable on a pin III mounted in the top of body casting I2, the roller thus maintaining the rack 'in mesh with the teeth of the segmental gear.

In normal operation, the air motor will be connected to a suitable supply of compressed air and will remain connected thereto throughout the time while the dispenser is being used. When the control valve 36 is opened, lubricant is discharged and the pressure in the discharge hose 36, discharge fitting 28 and high pressure cylinder 24 will be relieved. Due to the decreas in resistance offered to the high pressure plunger, the air motor 45 will begin to operate and will continue to operate as long as the pressure of the lubricant on the end of the high pressure plunger 43 is insuifioient to arrest th operation of the air motor.

While the air motor 45 is operating, the helical conveyor 66 will be intermittently rotated and will force lubricant in the drum to rise in the priming cylinder I9 and pass into the chamber I3. Intermittent rotation of the helical conveyor is brought about in the following manner:

The coupling member 44 reciprocates with the piston rod 41 of the air motor and carries with it the pivot 92 for the upper end of the bell crank lever 9|. On each downward stroke of the piston rod the upper end of the bell crank lever moves downward and the intermediate part of the bell crank pivots on the pin 94 in the arm 93. Simultaneously, the lower end of the bell cranklever will move in a horizontal direction and as it moves will carry the rack I06 with it, and this horizontal movement of the rack will cause the segmental gear to rotate in a clockwise direction. On the upward stroke of the rod 41, the rack is caused to move to the right, resulting in counter-clockwise rotation of the segmental gear 86. When the gear is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, the pawl in the carrier 69 will catch in one of the notches 82 in the gear and the pawl carrier, the shaft 63, and the helical blade 66 will be rotated counterclockwise. Rotation of the helical blade will force lubricant in the priming cylinder |9 upwardly into the reservoir 39.

After a lubricant drum has been emptied, the removable part of the housing may be detached and the air hose 48 may be disconnected from the air motor. The entire compressor unit can then be raised until the collector blades 65 clear the top of the lubricant drum. The unit can be locked in this position and is suported on the rod 2| which telescopes within the tube I6. The empty drum may then be removed from the base and a full drum placed in. position.

A lubricant compressor incorporating the linkage system of this invention for actuating the priming mechanism is a marked improvement over the compressors now on the market. The

linkage consists of few parts of simple and sturdy construction, thus reducing the cost of construction and the danger of breakdown and yet providing a positively acting motion transferring mechanism. The parts are easy to construct and may be readily assembled without the use of skilled labor. The space occupied by the parts is reduced to a minimum, thus a compact unit is formed which is light in weight and may be readily enclosed within an outer housing. The necessity for repair or replacement is reduced to a minimum because the parts are few and being of sturdy construction they have a long life and are not readily broken by accident or rough usage.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, it is apparent that modifications may be made therein, which will come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism, an intermittent driving mechanism for said rotary priming mechanism comprising a gear, a one way driving connection between said gear and said priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said gear, a bell crank lever pivoted at its upper end to said reciprocatory part and at its lower end to said rack, a pivoted arm having its free end pivotally connected to the intermediate part of said bell crank lever, said bell crank lever and arm causing said rack to be horizontally reciprocated when the motor is operatmg.

2. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part and a rotary priming mechanism; a means for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism from said reciprocatory part comprising a gear, a pawl, means for engaging said pawl to provide a one way driving connection between said gear and said priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said gear, and a linkage connecting said rack to said reciprocatory motor part, said linkage including a bell crank lever and an arm pivotally mounted to a fixed axis and to said bell crank lever, said arm causing said rack to be horizontally reciprocated when said motor is operating.

3. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism; a means for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism from said reciprocatory part comprising a pawl carrier on said priming mechanism, said pawl carrier having an annular groove and a vertical slot in its periphery, a pawl fitting loosely in said slot, a tension spring mounted in said annular groove and connected to said pawl for maintaining the latter in operative position, a segmental gear rotatable about said pawl carrier, said pawl being engageable with said gear for transmitting rotation of said gear to said pawl carrier and priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said gear, and a linkage connecting said rack to said reciprocatory motor part.

4. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part and a rotary priming mechanism, an intermittent driving mechanism for said rotary priming mechanism comprising a gear, a pawl, means for engaging said pawl to cause said priming mechanism to be intermittently rotated when said gear is rotated, a rack meshing with said gear, a bell crank lever pivoted at its upper end to said reciprocatory part and at its lower end to said rack, an arm connected to the lubricant compressor and to the intermediate part of said bell crank lever, said bell crank lever and arm causing said rack to be horizontally reciprocated when the motor is operating.

5. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism; a means for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism from said reciprocatory part comprising a pawl carrier on said priming mechanism, said pawl carrier having an annular groove and a vertical slot in its periphery, a pawl fitting loosely in said slot, a tension spring mounted in said annular groove and connected to said pawl for maintaining the latter in operative position, a segmental gear rotatable about said pawl carrier, said gear having notches in its inner cylindrical surface in which said pawl is engageable when the gear is rotated, a

'- rack meshing with said gear, and a linkage connecting said rack to said reciprocatory motor part and horizontally reciprocating said rack when the motor is operating.

6. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism, the combination of a supporting frame, a mechanism for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism comprising a pawl carrier on said priming mechanism, a segmental gear rotatable about said pawl carrier, a spring actuated pawl mounted in said pawl carrier and engageable with said gear when the latter is rotated for intermittently rotating said pawl carrier and priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said segmental gear, a bell crank lever pivoted to the reciprocatory part of said motor and to said rack, an arm having its ends pivotally connected to the intermediate part of said bell crank lever and to said frame respectively, said bell crank lever and arm causing said rack to be horizontally reciprocated when the motor is operating.

7. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism; a means for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism from said reciprocatory part comprising a gear, a one way driving connection between said gear and said priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said gear, a bell crank lever pivoted to said rack and said reciprocatory motor part, and means pivotally connected to the intermediate part of said bell crank lever for causing the lower end thereof to be reciprocated along a horizontal line when said motor is operating.

8. In a lubricant compressor having a motor with a reciprocatory part, and a rotary priming mechanism; a means for intermittently driving said rotary priming mechanism from said reciprocatory part comprising a gear, a one way driving connection between said gear and said priming mechanism, a rack meshing with said gear, a bell crank lever pivoted at opposite ends to said rack and said reciprocatory motor part, and an arm pivotally mounted on a fixed axis, said bell crank lever being pivoted at its intermediate part to the free end of said arm, whereby the intermediate part of said bell crank lever is caused to oscillate along an arc and the upper and lower ends of said bell crank lever are caused to recip-' rocate along vertical and horizontal lines, respectively, when said motor is operating.

ERNEST W. DAVIS 

